I’m excited that I’ve finally crossed that threshold in my story–the place where the story comes together and you no longer have to concern yourself with what happens next, but rather you’re just writing in response to all of the conflict that you’ve set up. Schew! Now if I can just carve out the time I need to complete this novel. I should point out that though I’ve been working on this for a while, I’ve been diverted by other projects several times. Last fall I stopped to work on an anthology with other authors, then in February, I had …

I’ve been remiss in posting. And it’s not because I was procrastinating. It’s because I am a procrastinator! I recently heard that procrastinators tend to overestimate the amount of time it takes to do something. In addition, they bite off more than they can chew, then become overwhelmed and ultimately paralyzed. I’ve been in the paralyzed mode. That, because I took time with my family over Memorial weekend and neglected the computer while emails continued to collect. I think I’m caught up on those, but now I’ve got to catch up on other writing-related activities–you know, the ones that keep …

Wednesdays are always my busiest day, so I dread them anyway. But today, I had planned to print my Genesis proposal so that it has a chance to be delivered by the deadline. Of course, all writers know that when you must print something, Murphy’s Law kicks in. I’m sure you’re heard of that, right? A slice of buttered bread, when dropped, will always land butter-side down. When you need an item that is in a heap, it will always be the one at the bottom. (for me it’s the dryer)_Sound familiar? I did some planning ahead and actually bought …

The last few days have been interesting just in terms of my own personal revelation, which has left me with a strong sense of purpose—a desire to take my writing to a new level. I’m not talking about the craft, but rather in terms of the spiritual message. The message I heard on Sunday spoke volumes to me about how we aren’t to thump the Bible at people and argue them to Jesus, but rather be so in tune with God’s heart, his voice, that we can speak into a person’s life just as Jesus did to the woman at …

. . .For June. That’s right, we’re done for this month, but we will start again in June. So stay tuned for announcements. In addition to focusing on websites, we’ll have book reviews and author interviews. I think the recent topics that arose out of fantasy discussions are quite intriguing, and I’d love to continue discussing them. For now, I have to take care of the business of announcing the book winner for posting comments on my blog. Of course, it was a simple matter of pulling names out of a hat . .drum roll please. . .E-Mom–You are the …

As part of the blog tour, Becky Miller (her link is on the sidebar) has an interesting topic on her sight regarding magic. One of the reasons that many Christians shy away from fantasy, in general, is due to its use of magic. She has raised an interesting question: What exactly is magic? In the Literal Translation of 1st Cor. 12:10 the scripture references that through the Spirit some will have “workings of power.” Other versions might call this miracles or completely disregard the term as in the case of the KJV. If we look at the Greek word used …

Today Becky Miller’s blog focuses on some of the books that Tim has not included in his focus on fantasy section, including Kathy Mackel’s Outriders. I want to discuss a series that I have greatly enjoyed, though there has been some disagreement about the standard of writing in these books. Still, I agree with Tim’s comments regarding The Binding of the Blade series by L.B. Graham: L.B. Graham has taken on a monumental task: a five-volume Christian fantasy epic, a story that will probably stretch over 2500 pages. Based on the first two books, I think he can do it. …

Today begins the first day of the blog tour aimed at promoting science fiction and fantasy (henceforth called SFF) within the CBA–SFF written for and by Christians. Walk into any Barnes and Nobles and you’ll see that by far the biggest section belongs to SFF–in the secular world. In Christian bookstores, it’s a different “story.” There are many theories about why this is the case, but the bottom line is that a large number of Christians love SFF and we want this genre to be available to us. We want to read something with a Christian worldview whether the message …

Do you know that fear can totally paralyze you? That is where I am at this moment. I’m not sure if fear is the precise word, but as I attempt to write a synopsis for the proposal that I must send out since finaling in the Genesis Contest, I just freeze up. Suddenly I can’t stand to look at my own writing—it has turned into a painful experience, which makes me cringe at every word. No matter that I finaled in a contest—my writing stinks! All of the distractions that are at my disposal amazing me. Blogging for one. IMing …

While a writing buddy is increasing the notches on his writing ladder through personal rejection letters as noted on his blog, I received my SECOND rejection for a manuscript from the same publisher, effectively decreasng my notches on the writing ladder! They’d rejected it last fall, so imagine my surprise when I received the second rejection. I’m just thankful that it did not occur on my already depressing birthday two days before. So I have to wonder—is there some sort of double jeopardy clause for the writing community? Of course, rejection is no crime, but I feel strongly that I …